Multiple Sclerosis
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a rare autoimmune condition, caused by a body’s own immune system attacking its central nervous system.
A quick note: this article is not intended as diagnosis or treatment advice.
As well as the genes covered here, around 200 more have also been found to contribute to MS, along with environmental factors, so this is very far from being a full picture of your risk level.
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Different variations in some of the HLA* family of genes and certain T-cell related genes have been found to relate to different levels of risk.
HIGHER RISK
LOWER RISK
rs3135388
TC
effect:3Higher risk
rs4959039
AG
effect:1.4Higher risk
rs6897932
CC
effect:1.08Higher risk
rs2104286
GA
effect:1.4Higher risk
*Read on for more detail on exactly how these genes and environmental factors like vitamin D deficiency affect MS risk.
This is my Data from SanoGenetics.com. Quite a interesting read. They picked up my Data from 23andme.com, so not a complete set of DNA used. I have asked their permission to use this page in my blog, as this information may help scientist and researchers. Tellmegen.com has a complete set of my DNA, along with Allofus.org
Vitamin D may also play a role in MS. A detailed report is available by emailing me, as I will retest to see if some items Tellmegen.com has shown interferes or not with vitamin D.
JoeY
A song that I thought would fit this DNA from yester year
This report covers several of the genes known to play a role in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This article is not intended as a diagnosis or to provide treatment advice, but as an educational and informational tool that is personalised to your genetic data. Beyond the genes covered here, there are around 200 genes which have been identified that also contribute to MS. Non-genetic factors such as Vitamin D also play a role in MS, and are explored in this report .
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a rare autoimmune condition which is caused by the body’s own immune system attacking its central nervous system .
It is characterized by a wide variety of symptoms including problems with vision, movement and speech .
The risk of developing MS is influenced by many factors including genetics. Several genes have been identified in influencing the development of MS, many of which regulate the immune system.
Which genes influence a person's possible development of Multiple Sclerosis?
The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) is a family of MS related genes that make a group of proteins called the HLA complex which plays a role in helping immune cells communicate with each other. The HLA complex helps the immune system to differentiate between foreign attackers (e.g. bacteria or viruses) and the body's own tissues. In MS, the immune system is unable to distinguish between the body's own tissues and a foreign attacker due to a miscommunication between immune cells.
Different variations of HLA genes have been found to relate to the risk of developing MS. Two of those variations are HLA-DRB1 (rs3135388) and HLA-G (rs4959039). Allele rs3135388(T) in HLA-DRB1 has been associated with a 3 to 6-fold higher risk of developing MS.
SNP rs3135388
You have the variant TC at position rs3135388. You have about a 3 times higher risk, than the average person, of developing Multiple Sclerosis.
Allele rs4959039(G) in HLA-G has shown to be associated with around a 2-fold higher risk for developing MS.
SNP rs4959039
You have the variant AG at position rs4959039. You have about a 1.4 times higher risk, than the average person, of developing Multiple Sclerosis.
What environmental factors influence a person's chances of developing Multiple Sclerosis?
One of the environmental factors which has been linked to the development of MS is vitamin D deficiency. People with MS have lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD3) in their bodies. Research suggests that increasing Vitamin D levels in people with a predisposition to developing MS may reduce risk of developing the condition.
In the kidney, skin and immune cells, 25-OHD3 is processed and activated by a gene called CYP27B1. This means that the final level of active vitamin D3 is dependent not just on Vitamin D levels, which is influenced by factors such as sun exposure and diet, but also genetic factors in the CYP27B1 gene.
Low levels of CYP27B1 will likely influence the available amount of active vitamin D3 present in the body. As a result, studies have shown that Individuals with allele rs703842 (T), which is correlated with lower levels of CYP27B1, are on average more likely to be affected by MS.
SNP rs703842
You have the variant TT at position rs703842. This variant is associated with an increased risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis.
What are T cells and what role do they play in developing Multiple Sclerosis?
The IL7RA gene produces a protein that participates in immune system response and in T cell (a type of immune cell) development. Some genetic variants in IL7RA result in decreased protein levels. It has been shown that carriers of the allele rs6897932 (C) produce less IL7RA, and people with allele rs6897932 (C;C) have about 2 fold higher risk for MS development. On the other hand, the (C;T) and (T;T) variants are associated with protection against MS.
SNP rs6897932
You have the variant CC at position rs6897932. This variant is associated with an 1.08 times higher risk, than the average person, of developing Multiple Sclerosis.
T Cells, mentioned previously, are an important part of our body's immune system and are involved in ‘adaptive immunity’, which includes a system for remembering past threats and responding to those threats when they occur again. MS, like many autoimmune diseases, is in part the result of T Cells not functioning correctly, and attacking the bodies own cells.
IL2RA produces a protein that is involved in T-Cell growth, and genetic variants in IL2RA are associated with MS risk. The rs2104286 (A) allele is associated with a higher risk of MS, while the rs2104286 (G;G) allele is associated with lower MS risk. One of the FDA-approved treatments for MS, daclizumab, works by blocking IL2RA.
In conclusion
There are around 200 genes which could influence a person’s development of Multiple Sclerosis, many of which regulate the immune system. Some genes may increase or decrease the risk of developing MS directly, whereas others may increase or decrease the risk of associated conditions such as vitamin D deficiency that can influence a person's likelihood of developing MS. However, genetics is just a small factor among many other factors (including environmental, immunologic and infectious factors) which influence a persons likelihood of developing MS.
Research into immunology, epidemiology, genetics and infectious agents is essential to increase our understanding of the causes of MS as well as helping to discover more effective treatments.
References
[3]Sano Genetics: Multiple Sclerosis
Glossary
[Environmental Factors]
Environmental factors are external influences that can affect an individual's health and wellbeing.
[Immune System]
The organs and processes of the body that provide resistance to infection and toxins.
[Immunological]
Relating to the structure and function of the immune system
[Infectious Agents]
Is generally used to describe and encompass any material that can cause an infection that can lead to a disease. There are four main classes of infectious agents: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
[Protein]
Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body.
[SNP]
SNP stands for 'single nucleotide polymorphism' and refers to regions of DNA that vary
But even more DNA using DNA from tellmegen.com
rs10492972 AG (or TC if reading the complementary DNA strand)) G (or C) is the risk allele
KIF1B gene conflicting reports; possible slight increased risk for multiple sclerosis
rs12722489 IL2RA gene AG a slight increase in risk of developing multiple sclerosis G is the risk allele
rs6498169 AG KIAA0350 gene 1.14x risk of multiple sclerosis A is the risk allele
rs10984447 AG DBC1 gene 1.17x increased risk for multiple sclerosis A is the risk allele
rs12044852 AC CD58 1.24X risk C is the risk allele
rs12708716 AA CLEC16A 1.6x risk of type-1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases (such as MS) A is the risk allele
rs4149584 GG TNFRSF1A normal risk A is the risk allele
rs3135388 AG (or TC) HLA-DRA 3x higher risk of multiple sclerosis A (or T) is the risk allele
